Oblivion:Rythe Lythandas

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Before the related quest is finished, Rythe will spend all the time standing near to entrance to the painted world and once he has been rescued from the painted world, he will resume his usual schedule: Most of the day he will wander around his house, taking a break at 6pm to have his dinner on the table nearby for two hours, until 8pm. After a long day of strolling around his house Rythe will finally go to sleep at midnight and until 6am.

When asked for rumors, the citizens of Cheydinhal may tell you, "Poor Tivela. I hear she is turning Cheydinhal inside out looking for her husband, Rythe. I hope nothing bad has happened to him." You can then ask them to elaborate on who Rythe Lythandas is: "Rythe Lythandas is one of the greatest painters in all Cyrodiil. Sadly, he's gone missing. His wife, Tivela, is beside herself with grief." If you seek out Tivela in Rythe's home, she will briefly introduce herself and then quickly ask you to help her: "I am sorry to be so forward, but I desperately need your help. It seems that my husband, Rythe, has gone missing, and I just don't know what to do." You can ask her about her husband, to which she will reply: "Yes, my husband is the Rythe Lythandas. Have you heard of him?" If you tell her you haven't heard of Rythe before she will give you some information on him: "You haven't? That's strange. Rythe is known far and wide as one of the best painters in all Cyrodiil. His speciality [sic]is setting the Great Forest to canvas. The paintings look so amazingly real that some say they can see the trees sway in the breeze. That's a silly notion of course, but it just goes to show the attention to detail Rythe uses when he paints." After she finishes this, you can ask her to provide more details on the mysterious disappearance: "Yes. Rythe likes to work in his studio with the door locked, so no one can disturb him. He usually comes out to eat dinner and sleep, but two days ago, he didn't come out at all. At first, I wasn't worried. He does that occasionally. But when he didn't come out for a full day, I unlocked the studio with the key he said to use only in emergencies. It turned out he wasn't inside! I'm sure he never left that room. So I have no idea where he's gone. Please. Help me find Rythe. I love him dearly, and I am so worried." Once you agree to help, Tivela will give you the key to enter Rythe's studio and will urge you to hurry: "Please hurry, I fear Rythe is in danger."

Shortly after entering the mysterious painting inside Rythe's studio, you will find the missing Dunmer. He will be quite surprised to see you: "Where did you come from? You look real enough. You must be from the outside! Oh, thank goodness someone finally came!" He will then continue on, delivering some bad news: "While I'm overjoyed to see a friendly face, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. You're stuck here like I am. Sorry to break it to you like that, but if it wasn't for that annoying thief, we wouldn't be in this predicament." Asking him about the thief will have him tell you the story of how he ended up in this situation: "I was in my studio, when a Bosmer wearing dark clothing accosted me. Before I could call for help, he knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I found that the door to my studio was still locked, and that the thief had snatched my paintbrush. That's when I saw it. There was something on the canvas of my painting that I hadn't put there. It looked somewhat like a troll but it was badly done. Then it hit me. The Bosmer must have leapt into the painting, then painted guardians inside to protect himself using the Brush of Truepaint."

"Our only hope is to defeat the Painted Trolls."

You can then ask him about the Brush of Truepaint, in which case he will reply, "I knew the secret of my success would be revealed one day. I can tell you all about the brush [sic]if you like." If you tell him you're not interested and ask how to get out of the painting, he will simply state: "Our only hope is to defeat the Painted Trolls." If you ask him to tell you about the brush, he will provide you with the tale of its creation: "Very well. The Brush showed up several years ago in the possession an [sic]artist who was serving in the Arnesian War of 396. It seems an errant fireball had exploded next to him, and he lost the use of both arms. He was a stubborn man who didn't want to give up his talent. Being a devout follower of Dibella, he prayed to her for something that would allow him to express himself once more. She heard his plea, and gifted him with the Brush. It's said the bristles of the Brush are woven from Dibella's own hair. That injured man was my father. He passed the Brush on to me, and I intend to pass it along to my kin one day. Did you want to know how it works?" If you tell him you need to get going, he will be quite understanding: "Thank you. You're truly kind to help someone you've just met. The only thing standing in our way are the painted trolls." However, if you ask him how it works, he will tell you about its power: "The Brush allows the artist to paint from within a canvas. It opens a portal into which the artist may enter to paint things life-sized. All the painter has to do is have the Brush in his possession, and whatever he imagines appears in the canvas. Of course, I like to wave it around anyway. It makes me feel more like a legitimate painter. I guess it all doesn't matter now. Unless you can defeat those Painted Trolls, we have no chance of getting the Brush back."

Asking Rythe about the painted trolls will cause him to discuss the unreliable guardians of the thief: "The trolls that the thief painted seem to have turned on their creator and killed him. He didn't know the Brush had its risks. The creatures are now loose all over the forest and in the clearing where I was still working. The Brush is on the body of the Bosmer thief there." He will continue on, giving you some helpful items to deal with the painted trolls: "I will not be able to help you; I am not a warrior. But take these bottles of turpentine, they might help. Do be careful." Asking him about the trolls after he gives you the turpentine will have him tell you, "I'll have to remember to remove the trolls from my painting before I complete this piece." He will close dialogue with some advice: "Be cautious, friend."

Before the painted trolls are slain, on subsequent visits he will greet you with, "Any luck yet?" Once the area is clear of resistance, he can be heard mumbling, "I must have that Brush." and will urge you to quickly obtain the Brush: "Excellent work my friend! All we need is the Brush, and we can leave this place." Once you have the brush, he will be quite excited and greet you with, "Let me go paint us a way out of here." He will then tell you, "Good work! Now I can paint the portal home. After it's complete, you must go first or else you'd be stuck in here forever." He will then take the Brush and paint a portal home and will only tell you, "No time to talk. Let's go home." ending the conversation.

After you leave the painted realm, Rythe will be just behind you. He will immediately leave his study and have a pleasant conversation with his wife:

Rythe: "Tivela!"Tivela: "Rythe! Oh my love! You are home safe... I was so afraid..."Rythe: "If it wasn't for my friend here, you'd be right."Tivela: "Come, you must need food and rest."Rythe: "I will rest, but I must take care of our guest first."

After finishing this conversation, Rythe will properly thank you for rescuing him: "I don't know how to thank you. You have a good heart to help get me back home. I'll never forget what you've done for me. Here, please take this apron as a token of your friendship. It's not much, but perhaps it will help you in the future." He will then ask one last thing of you: "All I ask in return is to keep the Brush's existence secret. If word gets around that I have it, I'm afraid more than a lone cutpurse will visit me." Tivela will be quite happy to see her husband back and will tell you, "Oh! I don't know how to thank you! You've brought my husband back to me. I shall always count you as a friend." When asked about Rythe after this, she will say: "My love is home again. I'll never leave his side."

If you return to him after completing the quest, he will greet you very warmly: "My house is yours, friend. Please, come back to visit us anytime." He will then bid you farewell with, "Safe journey, serjo."

After finishing the related quest, the citizens of Cheydinhal will remark, "Rythe Lythandas seems to be back in town. Wonder where he was off to?"